Making the best of it
by cora80
Summary: In the process of dealing with the aftermath of the revenge someone took on him and the attendant circumstances Damon is growing closer to a certain witch...Set after the episode "Bloodlines"
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own TVD

Author's notes: I'm back with another fiction, and of course it's going to be Bamon again!

Since English is not my native language please bear with me!

Summary: In the process of dealing with the aftermath of the revenge someone took on him Damon is growing closer to a certain witch...Set after the episode "Bloodlines".

* * *

-Making the best of it-

It was Friday evening and Stefan and Elena were just arriving the boarding house after having spent some time at the Grill with playing pool and chatting with friends.

"We are lucky, Damon is out again." Stefan said when they entered the house.

"Don't you think that it's weird? His car is still parked in the driveway and we haven't seen him for a couple of days now." Elena replied.

"He's probably looking for another way to open that tomb. Ever since Bonnie destroyed the crystal he's trying to find an alternative."

„We should at least try and call him." Elena said and pulled her cellphone out of her pocket.

"Since when do you have Damon's number?" Stefan asked curiously.

"He added his number to my contacts himself when we were in Atlanta." Elena explained while dialing the number.

It took quite some time until the phone was answered, but she couldn't hear a voice.

"Damon? Is that you?" she asked.

"He picked up the phone, but he doesn't talk to me." Elena addressed Stefan.

Stefan took her phone and attempted to talk to his brother himself.

"Damon? Stop fooling around and tell us where you are."

Suddenly the line went dead. Stefan tried to call him again, but this time it went straight to voice mail.

"I think I could hear someone breathing." Stefan said.

„That is weird. I think we should look for him." Elena demanded.

„Elena, he's a vampire. He can take care of himself. We should be more worried about what he might be planning right now." Stefan replied.

"But nevertheless he could be hurt. I have the feeling that there's something wrong."

"And where are we supposed to start looking for him? He could be everywhere."

Stefan sighed when he noticed Elena's facial expression. The way she looked at him made it obvious that she wouldn't back down. He didn't like the fact that Elena and his brother had formed some kind of a bond during their trip to Atlanta, but he would do anything to make his girlfriend happy. Even if that meant he had to look for Damon.

"We should ask Bonnie for help. I know that witches are able to perform spells to locate someone."

Elena smiled gratefully at Stefan and immediately called her best friend.

Bonnie hesitated at first. She had already read about those spells but she wasn't so fond of looking for Damon Salvatore. Not so long ago said vampire had tried to kill her and she honestly wouldn't mind if something had happened to him. But realizing how much it meant to Elena she eventually agreed.

About half an hour later Bonnie arrived at the boarding house. Since Bonnie's Dad was home they had decided to do the magic there.

"I'm going to need one of his personal belongings." the young witch explained.

Stefan nodded and went upstairs to Damon's room. He returned with one of Damon's sunglasses and handed it to Bonnie. She laid it on the table placed four candles around it and set them alight. Once again she reread the spell in the book that her Grandmother had given her and eventually closed her eyes and started to chant. When she stopped Stefan and Elena looked at her full of expectation. Bonnie's eyes remained closed and it was obvious that she was still highly concentrated.

"I can see him lying on the ground somewhere in the woods." she finally spoke up.

"Here in Mystic Falls?" Elena asked.

"Yes, I think it's not far from the lake. But something is wrong." Bonnie answered confused an opened her eyes.

"What do you mean?" Stefan asked.

"The book says that you can feel the aura of the person that you're trying to locate. Usually when I'm in the presence of Damon I can feel the darkness and the cold that surrounds him, but this time it was missing." Bonnie explained.

The three of them looked unsure at each other but eventually got up and left the house to look for Damon. They took Elena's car which was the largest and drove to the lake. During the car ride Stefan scanned the area next to the road but couldn't find anything suspicious. When they finally arrived the lake it was almost dark outside. Stefan walked ahead whereas the girls were following him in a close distance. Suddenly he stopped.

"Someone is here. I can hear a heartbeat." he whispered.

Elena and Bonnie frantically looked around.

"Over there." Bonnie said and pointed to a figure lying on the ground.

Elena immediately recognized the black leather jacket and hurried over to Damon not caring about who or where the other person might be whose heartbeat Stefan had detected. Damon was unconscious and lying on his left side. His cellphone was lying next to him, the display was dark and the battery empty. Elena nudged him but didn't get any kind of response. When Stefan approached them she noticed the dumbfounded look on his face.

"Stefan, what's wrong?"

"It's Damon's heart that I can hear beating." he said deadpan.

The girls glanced unbelieving at Stefan and then back at Damon.

Bonnie was the first who recovered from the shock. "Let's get him back to the boarding house. We won't find out what happened by standing here and staring at each other."

Stefan hesitantly crouched down next to his brother and picked him up. Damon remained unconscious during the whole car ride and also didn't wake up when he was carried upstairs to his room. Stefan put Damon on his bed and took off his boots and jacket. Bonnie stepped forward and briefly touched Damon's hand.

"Definitely human." she confirmed.

Since Damon was still not awake they left the room and went downstairs to the living room.

"I had no clue that it's possible to turn a vampire back into a human." Stefan said amazed.

"But I take it that Damon wouldn't let someone turn him into a human willingly." Elena replied.

"No, he's way too obsessed with his power and abilities. Let alone the fact that he's still trying to get Katherine back." Stefan agreed.

"I'm going to check those books that my Grams gave me and in case I won't find anything I'm going to visit her tomorrow." Bonnie suggested.

After Bonnie had left Elena called Jenna to ask her if she could stay at the boarding house. Jenna wasn't too fond of the idea but eventually agreed. Once again Elena and Stefan checked on Damon, but the older Salvatore was still asleep. As there wasn't anything they could do at the moment, they decided to call it a day and also went to bed.

It was in the middle of the night when Damon finally woke up. He was surprised that he was lying in his bed and tried to ignore the massive headache. His throat was also aching so he decided to go down to the kitchen and grab some bloodbags hoping that once he had fed some of the stored blood he would feel good enough to go out and hunt. Staggering down the stairs he tried to remember what had happened and why he felt so weak and sore but his mind was blank.

Stefan was woken by a low thud that he had only registered thanks to his vampire hearing. When he sat up Elena also woke up.

"What's up?" she asked bleary.

"Damon is up. He's downstairs in the kitchen." Stefan replied.

They hurried down the stairs and into the kitchen where they were greeted with a horrible sight. Damon was lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He was still holding a bloodbag in his hand and blood was trickling down his chin.

"Something's wrong with the blood. It tastes disgusting." he muttered weakly when he noticed Elena and Stefan.

"It's not the blood, Damon. It's you. You're human." Stefan replied.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's notes: The second chapter is finished and I hope you like it! And thank you so much for the reviews, just keep them coming, they are the best fuel that I can imagine ;-)

* * *

Damon slowly sat up and looked horrified at his younger brother. All of a sudden the memories of the last couple of days were crushing down on him.

"Oh God that damn witch wasn't joking." he groaned and stood up.

He was still unsteady on his feet and eventually collapsed again. Elena crouched down to him and noticed the sweat on his forehead. She gently laid a hand against his face.

"You have a fever, you should go back to bed." she exclaimed.

"Fever? I just turned back into a human and I'm already sick?" Damon asked incredulously.

"You were lying on the cold ground in the wood, you probably caught a cold." Elena assumed.

"You have to turn me back into a vampire. Now!" Damon said desperately and glanced at Stefan.

"So that you can keep hurting and killing people? No, this is definitely not going to happen." Stefan replied.

"Fine, I will find another vampire who will turn me." Damon hissed furiously and struggled to get up.

He attempted to storm out of the kitchen but stopped when he felt dizzy again and steadied himself by leaning against the door frame.

"Damon, be reasonable and let me help you. You're sick and your immune system is not used to today's virus diseases. You're probably also dehydrated." Elena tried to calm him.

He finally backed down, put his arm around her shoulders and let her help him to ascend the stairs. Stefan watched them silently. He simply couldn't believe it. Why of all vampires was it Damon that was turned back into a human? What Damon considered as punishment would be for him the greatest gift he could imagine. On the one hand he was finding joy in Damon's misfortune but on the other hand he was going green with envy. He was still lost in thought when Elena returned back to the kitchen.

"He fell immediately asleep, I guess he's pretty exhausted." she told him.

"It's not fair." Stefan replied looking at her. "He doesn't even appreciate getting his humanity back."

"But at least you know now that it's possible. Tomorrow we have to find out what happened."

* * *

Waking up the next morning the first thing Damon felt was his still aching throat. He pulled the blanket over his head and groaned. Last night he had been so groggy that he had hoped it was only a very bad dream. But apparently it wasn't. The hot shower he took helped to ease the pain in his aching muscles though he was still feeling weak and his movements were slow when he put on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. When he finally made it downstairs he spotted Elena, Bonnie and Stefan in the living room. He intended to avoid them but Elena had already seen him.

"Hey Damon, are you feeling better?" she asked.

"Just peachy." he replied and sauntered into the living room trying to hide his weakness and to look laid-back.

"Then sit down and explain what happened." Stefan said.

"Okay, here is the short version. Three witches, a lot of vervain and a spell."

"That's indeed a short version. Why did they do that? Did you know them?" Elena inquired.

"I recognized one of them. She was a good friend of Bree and wanted to take revenge."

"But why?"

"I killed Bree." Damon shrugged.

Elena looked at him with wide eyes.

"She was lying to me." Damon stated.

"Honestly, I start to think that you might actually deserve this." she replied.

"As I said, since my own brother is not willing to turn me, I'm going to find another vampire who will. I'm certainly not planning to stay like this." Damon grinned.

"Then I guess I have some bad news for you." Bonnie interfered.

The others looked at her surprised and full of expectation.

"I talked to my Grandmother about it and she told me about a spell that can indeed turn vampires back into humans, though that spell had never been written down. Also is the spell quite dangerous for the vampire, my Grandmother has never heard about a vampire who actually survived it. The performance of that spell takes a lot of power, hence the three witches. And here is the snag in it. Firstly there's no spell to reverse that one, it's permanent. And secondly a former vampire can't be turned back the traditional way. Vampire blood won't have any affects on him for the rest of his human life." Bonnie explained.

Damon grabbed a glass of water that was standing on the table and smashed it against the wall.

"This is bullshit! What kind of sick witch comes up with a spell like that?" he yelled angrily.

Reaching out for another glass he was stopped by Stefan who grabbed him by his throat and pushed him up against the wall. Stefan was really angry now. Without further thinking he punched Damon a couple of times and smashed him against the wall. Damon fell down in a heap and held his head moaning in pain.

"Stefan, stop it. You could seriously hurt him." Elena demanded and tried to hold her boyfriend back who was driven by envy and the rage about the fact that Damon was declining the humanity that he wanted to have so badly.

She had never seen him being so angry. Finally Stefan realized that he had gone too far and let go of Damon. Elena dragged him away and ushered him out of the house in order to go for a blow and to cool down.

With a hint of reluctance that she tried to hide Bonnie went over to check on Damon. His lower lip was split and she noticed a bruise on his right temple when she bent down. Damon pushed her away but failed at his attempt to run upstairs. Holding on to the banister he tried to prevent himself from collapsing though the dizziness and the pain in his head increased rapidly and he found himself on the floor again. Although she wanted to ignore the compassion that she suddenly felt for him, Bonnie approached him and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"I know that you're not used to being weak and needing help, but please be reasonable."

Damon looked at her with gritted teeth.

"You're sick and hurt, and I take it that you haven't drank or eaten anything since you're human." she added.

Damon shook his head and regretted this movement in an instant. Finally he gave in and let her help him. He couldn't believe that it was already the second time within just a couple of hours that he needed someone to take him upstairs. Once they were in his room he slowly went over to his bed and sat down. Bonnie noticed that he was slightly shivering and for being human he was way too pale.

"You should lay down." she suggested and surprisingly he obliged and crawled under the blanket.

Bonnie simply took it as another hint that he wasn't feeling well. Elena was probably right with her assumption that he had caught a cold.

"Are you hungry or thirsty?" she asked.

"I don't know. I don't remember how it feels to be hungry when you're human." he answered quietly.

Eventually Bonnie started to realize how difficult it must be for him to adjust to his condition. He had not only lost all his advanced abilities and strength, but also didn't know how to interpret the signs that his body gave him. And lying in his bed looking sick and tired he reminded her more of a five year old than a former vampire who had satisfied his blood thirst by killing innocent people.

"Maybe it would be better to call a doctor." she suggested when Damon sneezed.

"Why?"

"You might not want to hear that again, but you're human and you're sick."

"As I said, I'm not planning to stay human."

"But you can't become a vampire again."

"How do you know for sure if there has never been a vampire who survived this spell before?"

"And you're really willing to take the risk to die in the process?" Bonnie inquired incredulously.

"Death actually sounds a lot better to me than the imagination of living a human life. All the memories of what I've done as a vampire keep crashing down on me and I can't switch of my feelings anymore. And if I ever gonna find a way to get Katherine out of the tomb, she would never accept the fact that I'm human and aging. I would loose her again." Damon explained and Bonnie could hear the sadness in his voice.

"I'm sure it will get better. Right now you're just confused and sick, but you will get used to being human again, you just have to try." Bonnie said trying to cheer him up.

"I don't have to try it to know that I will suck at being human."

"Look who's brooding now." Bonnie replied dryly and Damon actually smiled slightly at that comment.

Seeing the corners of his mouth turning upwards raised Bonnie's hopes that he would refrain from the suicide mission of letting a vampire trying to turn him. She decided that he was already sufficiently cursed for his earlier misdoings with being human and she was willing to give him a seconds chance. Now she only had to bring him to jump at the chance before he would do something stupid.

"Okay, here is the deal. Next I'll go groceries shopping, you really need to drink and to eat properly. And once you feel better I'll show you that living a human life can be fun, too. And I'm talking about G-rated fun." Bonnie suggested.

Damon eventually agreed.

"You're lucky that human Damon is just as hot as vampire Damon." he grinned.

"Speaking of hot, I will also go to the drugstore to get you something against the fever and the cold." she said ignoring the hint but grinning as well.

And suddenly Damon could see a dim light at the end of the tunnel. The young witch had actually managed to show him the spark of hope that he needed to give this new life a chance.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's notes: Thank you so much to the reviewers, the readers and those who added this story to their favorite's – you make me so happy!

And now you should prepare for a lot of drama...

* * *

As the relationship between Damon and Stefan had become even more complicated than it was before the two brothers did their best to avoid each other. Whereas Stefan spent as much time as possible outside with Elena, Damon stayed at home alone. He was annoyed by the amount of sleep that his body demanded, frustrated because he missed his advanced abilities and disgusted of the tea that Bonnie had bought for him. At least his throat wasn't aching anymore and the fever was down, too. Cursing inwardly that thanks to his pathetic human hearing he wasn't able to tell whether Stefan was home or not he slowly made his way out his room and downstairs into the kitchen. He was almost relieved when he was sure that Stefan wasn't home. In the kitchen he walked over to the fridge and retrieved a bottle of orange juice that he liked way better than the tea. Due to Bonnie's shopping tour the day before the fridge was well stocked with a lot of healthy food though he couldn't bring himself to eat anything. As a vampire he had still eaten human food sometimes but everything tasted different and odd now and he wasn't sure if he liked it. Coffee however was one of the few things that he really enjoyed to drink, it tasted even better than before. Deciding to get himself another cup of the caffeine containing beverage he put the juice back into the fridge. He was interrupted when the doorbell sounded and when he opened the door he found Bonnie standing in front of him.

"Hey, you look better." she greeted him.

"And you look just as lovely as yesterday. But I'm afraid I have to tell you that Elena is not here." he replied smirking.

"I know I wanted to see how you're doing." Bonnie said and smiled at the surprised look on his face.

"May I come in?" she added.

Damon stepped aside not being able to come up with a suitable reply.

"I've brought some chicken noodle soup." she announced and walked straight into the kitchen.

When she walked over to the fridge and opened it she immediately turned around and glared at Damon.

"Admit it, you haven't eaten anything at all since I've left yesterday." she scolded sternly.

Damon simply shrugged.

"Do I really have to eat that often?" he asked.

"Yes, you do. If you complain about how weak you are as a human compared to a vampire I would assume that you would at least want to be a strong human. And therefor you have to eat properly."

Damon considered her reply and thought that she was probably right.

"Fine." he eventually backed down.

He felt almost humiliated when she sent him back to bed but also obliged and went back into his room. Shortly after Bonnie appeared carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup, a glass of orange juice and a plate with a sliced apple on it. Figuring that he might be uncomfortable to eat alone she had brought the apple for herself although she wasn't hungry at all. They ate in silence and Bonnie was somewhat proud that Damon even emptied the bowl.

"Thank you." he said when she started to collect the dishes and intended to leave.

"You're welcome." Bonnie smiled.

* * *

When Stefan returned to the boarding house this evening he found Damon sleeping on the couch in the living room. Looking at him he finally realized the real reason for his anger at him and his humanity. Although they were at odds with each other, Damon had always been the only constant in his life. And the fact that their lives were bound to be eternal and already lasted for over 150 years emphasized the importance of this constant. Even when they hadn't seen each other for years they always felt that the other one was still there, something that only siblings were able to do. But now Stefan had to accept that one day he would loose this constant in his life. His brother would age and one day he would die. His train of thoughts was interrupted when Damon slightly stirred in his sleep. Stefan watched him for another couple of minutes until he headed for his room. He wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

* * *

It took another two days until Damon finally started to feel better and Bonnie was mainly responsible for his improving condition. Luckily her Dad was on a business trip so that she could spent most of her time after school with Damon always making sure that he would drink and eat enough. And as Stefan was still having a hard time, too, Elena tried to distract him as good as possible. After school they would either go to the Grill or to Elena's and simply enjoy the togetherness. But Elena also cared about Damon and therefore she was glad that her best friend was supporting the former vampire so much.

On Wednesday Bonnie decided that it was time for Damon to stop hiding in the boarding house so that he took him into town to her favorite coffee shop. After they had purchased two cappuccinos to go they sauntered to the nearby park where they sat down on a bench. Bonnie was still amazed how comfortable she felt in Damon's presence now. She even enjoyed the time that she spent with him. And whereas her first feelings towards the human Damon only consisted of pity she realized that over the last couple of days she had really started to like and to care about him. Also was Damon in a better mood now and much more talkative. It seemed like he had finally started to adjust to his new life.

Damon however was suddenly reminded of his old life when he spotted a familiar face on his way back home.

"Anna." he whispered pensively.

Remembering that her mother Pearl had also been locked in the tomb he figured that the only reason for her return could be the intention to open the tomb. He watched her entering a hotel and wondered whether she knew about the grimoire that Bree had mentioned or not. He decided to go back home for now but also to keep an eye on the tomb.

The next two days went by pretty uneventful but on Friday evening a very nervous Stefan stormed into the boarding house.

"Was Elena here?" he asked Damon who was sitting in front of the fire place in the living room.

"No. Did you loose your girlfriend?" Damon replied.

"We wanted to meet at the Grill but she didn't show up. So I tried to call her on her cellphone but it goes straight to voice mail. She left school together with Bonnie and I can't get a hold of her either." Stefan explained.

His last sentence alarmed Damon as well and Anna's face popped up in his mind. If she had really found the grimoire she would need a witch. Knowing that he wouldn't be a match for another vampire anymore he finally told Stefan his suspicion.

The younger Salvatore immediately headed for his car where he waited for Damon. He knew his brother well enough to know that he would want to go with him.

"You should wait in the car." Stefan suggested while he was driving.

"You've got to be kidding me." Damon snorted and looked incredulously at his younger brother.

"Damon, it might be too dangerous for you."

"What, are you worried about me?"

"Believe it or not, I am."

"Well, I'm touched. But I will still not wait in the car."

Stefan sighed but didn't object anymore.

When they were close to the tomb he stopped the car and listened closely.

"Someone is down there." he stated.

They made their way slowly and carefully to the tomb trying not to be detected. In the entrance area of the actual tomb they found a trembling Bonnie with tears in her eyes and the grimoire in her hands. The other vampire that was standing in a corner didn't even have a chance as Stefan instantly lunged forward and staked him. Damon was stunned when he realized that the tomb was open.

"That vampire girl took Elena with her inside the tomb." Bonnie sobbed.

Stefan nodded and also entered the tomb. When Damon approached the entrance Bonnie grasped his arm.

"Don't go in there, it's not safe for you." she pleaded.

"I have to see her."

Walking down the dark corridors of the tomb he looked into every corner in his search for Katherine. Firstly he met Anna who was supporting her mother on her way out of the tomb. The vampire girl was irritated by his beating heart but too distracted by the joy over having her mother back to really care. Slowly but surely he was getting annoyed as he couldn't find Katherine. He was about to enter the last chamber when he crossed paths with Stefan who held Elena close to him.

"Damon, please don't bring her back." Stefan urged.

"She's not here." Damon muttered dumbfounded after he had glanced into the chamber.

Stefan was stunned as well but too determined to get Elena out to let the information really sink in.

"Damon, we need to leave. Bonnie doesn't know for how long she can keep the tomb open." Elena said.

Stefan and Elena dragged Damon with them and were utterly relieved when they spotted Bonnie who was nervously waiting for her friends. Shortly after they had stepped out the stone that had been blocking the entrance moved back into its place. Damon was completely devastated. He leaned against the wall and slid down onto the ground with a blank look on his face.

"She's not here." he repeated.

Bonnie looked uncomprehendingly at Stefan and Elena.

"Katherine is not in the tomb." Stefan explained.

The young witch walked over to Damon and crouched down next to him.

"I'm sorry." she said and laid a hand on his forearm.

She motioned to Elena and Stefan to leave and turned her attention back to Damon.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"I spent almost 150 years trying to find a way to get her out of that damn tomb only to find out that she was betraying me the whole time." Damon eventually answered.

"Bringing her back has been the only purpose in my eternal life. I even turned into a monster in order to reach my target." he added deadpan.

"Don't let that get to you. You are about to start a new life anyway, and there's no room for Katherine. Come on, she's not even worth it, she was lying to you."

Damon looked at Bonnie and considered her words.

"I know that an ordinary break up is nothing compared to this, but believe me one day of wallowing in self-pity and eating a lot of ice cream while watching stupid movies will make you feel better. Ask me, I'm an expert. Besides the whole brooding doesn't suit you." Bonnie told him.

"As if this life wasn't already bad enough." Damon muttered but finally stood up and followed her out of the tomb.

* * *

The next day Bonnie and Elena drove together to the boarding house. Bonnie was armed with a lot of fast food and DVD's and during the car ride the girls already snacked on some chocolate bars.

Stefan suppressed a laugh when he saw all the bags that Bonnie carried but was glad that she tried so hard to help his brother. He only hoped that she would succeed before Damon would turn into some overweight guy that spent his time in front of the TV set. But currently the fast food surely wouldn't harm him.

"Is Damon upstairs in his room?" Bonnie asked while she was unpacking the food in the kitchen.

"Last time I saw him he was outside in the garden. You can go and look for him, I put the food away." Stefan replied.

Bonnie nodded and went out in the garden. She was happy about the hint of a smile that she detected when he turned around and saw her.

"Are you ready to stuff yourself with ice cream and watch some movies?" she greeted him.

"So you weren't joking yesterday?"

"Nope. As I said I'm an expert in wallowing after a break up. Lots of sugar and movies always help."

"Do you think we could go for a walk before we start?" Damon suggested.

Bonnie agreed and they strolled up a narrow path that led into tho wood. For almost half an hour they walked in silence until they started to talk about random things. Damon was grateful for the distraction because otherwise he would have spended his time with contemplating wheter he should really give his new life a chance or not.

They walked for another couple of minutes and suddenly they stopped dead in their tracks. Right in front of them was a vampire who was feeding on a jogger. Due to the thickness of the wood and the dark clouds in the sky the vampire wasn't affected by any rays of light. His clothes looked torn and rotten and when he looked up Damon recognized him as one of his father's servants.

"He was in the tomb." Damon whispered to Bonnie.

The vampire let go of the jogger who was dead by now and approached them threateningly.

"Stay behind me." Damon ordered and stepped in a protective manner in front of Bonnie when he noticed the way the vampire was looking at the young witch.

The vampire grinned and before Damon could react he had Bonnie pinned against a tree and went for her neck.

"Let her go, you can kill me, but don't hurt her." Damon demanded while trying to push him away.

Bonnie gasped hearing his words.

"I have a better idea. I will kill you first and then I will have the girl for dessert." the vampire replied and turned around.

He grabbed Damon by his throat and smashed him into a tree. Bonnie watched helplessly how Damon tried to fight back. She desperately tried to concentrate on her powers to help him but nothing happened. When Damon once again was thrown around and punched she pulled out her cellphone and quickly dialed Elena's number.

"We are in the near of the old summer camp and a vampire is attacking us, please hurry." she almost screamed into her phone as soon as she had heard Elena answering the call.

After she had finished the call she spotted Damon lying on the ground with the vampire kneeling down right next to him. She had never felt so weak and so utterly helpless. Yet with the last bit of strength that Damon could summon up he actually managed to stake the vampire that had him pinned on the ground with a branch. Bonnie hurried over to him and pulled the withered remnants of the vampire off him. The sight of his broken and bloodied body made her cry and she immediately crouched down to him and gently caressed his cheek. Her worry for him increased immensely when she noticed the wheezing sound that he made every time he took a breath.

"Damon, please stay with me." she sobbed when his eyelids started to flutter.

Finally Stefan and Elena arrived both shocked about the sight in front of them. Damon was still fighting against the imminent unconsciousness but it was obvious that he was about to loose the battle.

"Let's try if my blood helps him." Stefan suggested and also crouched down to his brother.

He bit into his wrist and held the bleeding wound against Damon's lips. Damon intended to turn away but Bonnie held his face gently yet firmly between her hands. After he had swallowed some of Stefan's blood everybody waited and looked expectantly at him. But nothing happened.

"Damn it!" Stefan cussed.

"Okay, we have to get him to the hospital, Elena's car is right over there." he added quickly.

He started to lift Damon's body but stopped instantly when his brother cried out in pain and lowered him back on the ground.

"Damon, I'm sorry if it hurts, but we have to get you into the car. Hold on." he said softly and stroked his cheek.

Damon looked at him with his eyes half closed and gave him a slight nod. He gritted his teeth when Stefan picked him up and carried him over to the car. Stefan positioned him as gently as possible in the backseat where Bonnie already sat. She took his head in her lap and ran her fingers softly through his hair whispering soothing words to him. His breathing became more and more labored and when he started to cough up blood, Bonnie urged Elena to drive faster. As soon as they arrived the hospital Stefan practically jumped out of the car and carefully pulled his brother out. Elena and Bonnie followed him when he carried Damon into the emergency ward. The fact that Damon's blood was dripping on the floor immediately grabbed the attention of the nurses on duty. One of them called for a doctor whereas another one approached them with a gurney. Stefan lowered his brother on the gurney and gave his hand a slight squeeze before he was wheeled away.

They spent hours of waiting only knowing that Damon had to undergo surgery due to the internal bleeding he was suffering from. While Stefan was pacing back and forth the girls sat on the uncomfortable plastic chairs. Finally a nurse appeared.

"How is he?" Stefan asked.

"Doctor Matthews is going to come soon to inform you. Until then you can make a short visit." she told them.

They nodded and followed the nurse quietly to Damon's room on the ICU. Stefan paused briefly in the doorway as he spotted his older brother. Damon looked so fragile and almost small lying there in the hospital bed. And when he looked past all those tubes, wires and machines Damon was connected with he noticed how pale he was. His skin was almost as white as the sheets and glistened with sweat. Since neither of them dared to speak the pump of the respirator and the beeping sound of the heart rate monitor were the only noises in the room. Bonnie was the first one who approached the bed and tentatively reached out for his hand. She squeezed it slightly trying to avoid the hollow needle in the back of his hand that pierced through his skin and led right into a vein in order to provide him with the much needed medicine and fluid. Stefan was shocked to see his older brother in such a condition and realized the severity of the situation. And it became even worse when suddenly an alarm went off and the line on the screen of the heart rate monitor went flat.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's notes: This chapter is comparatively short and completely dedicated to the Salvatore brothers. But there's going to be a lot of Bonnie/ Damon in the next chapter! Happy reading!

* * *

Within seconds the room was filled with doctors and nurses and they were ushered out of the room.

The next minutes passed agonizing slowly, and their eyes were fixed on the door to the room where Damon was fighting for his life. Stefan listened closely but at some point he lost track of the situation due to the many different voices that shouted instructions at each other. Finally the door opened and one of the doctors stepped out.

"Are you family?" he asked at first.

"Damon is my brother." Stefan replied.

The doctor nodded, introduced himself and started to explain.

"We could stabilize him for now, but he's not out of the woods yet. The next hours are going to be critical. He has four broken ribs and one of them punctured the lung which caused a massive internal bleeding. We also had to remove the spleen since it was ruptured. At the moment he can't breathe on his own, he's considerable weakened and also running a fever. Though we did everything we could, it's up to him now."

"May we see him?" Bonnie inquired.

"I'm afraid I can only allow family members to visit him." the doctor replied.

"That would only be me. There's no one else." Stefan explained.

"You can stay as long as you want. Right now it is really important for him that he's not alone. Hold his hand, talk to him, just let him know that you are there." the doctor added.

Stefan nodded and glanced at Elena and Bonnie who had both tears in their eyes.

"Give us a call if anything changes or if you need anything." Elena said and gave his hand an encouraging squeeze.

Eventually Stefan entered the room. Damon looked strained reminding him of the battle he had just fought. He moved the chair that stood in the corner of the room to the left side of the bed and sat down. When he took Damon's hand in his the first tears started to fall. He scolded himself for not having talked to him earlier fearing that it might be to late now.

"Please Damon, don't give up. I'm not ready to lose you, don't do that to me." he whispered while he was observing his brother's feature.

"I wasn't able to watch you die back in 1864 but today it's even worse. I'm so sorry that I gave you such a hard time lately." The tears were falling freely now and it became more and more difficult for him to speak.

Memories of their childhood started to come back into his mind. He remembered how Damon had always protected him. How he had comforted him when he had been sad. How he had taught him to play football. Back then Damon had been the best big brother that he could have imagined and he had loved him dearly. And he still loved him, he realized that now. No matter what had happened, Damon would always be his big brother and deep down inside he would always love him.

Stefan sighed and rubbed tiredly his face. He took the wet cloth that one of the nurses had laid on Damon's forehead because of the fever that he was running, went over to the small sink and soaked it with cool water. After he had gently wiped Damon's face with the cloth he placed it back on his forehead.

Once again he was just sitting at Damon's bed holding his hand and squeezing it occasionally when he suddenly felt Damon's fingers twitch. He almost jumped up from his chair and leaned over the bed. While his left hand was still clutching Damon's, he laid his right hand softly against his cheek.

"Damon, can you hear me?"

"If you can hear me, squeeze my hand. Come on Damon, I know that you can do it."

Stefan continued to coax him into squeezing his hand until he finally felt a faint pressure. A feeling of ease crept over him which was shortly followed by hope.

"You're going to survive this." Stefan mumbled not sure whether he was trying to reassure himself or his brother.

Two hours later a nurse entered the room to check on Damon. She came right on time as Damon had recently started to become restless and attempted to toss and turn.

"The effect of the pain medication is probably starting to wear off. " the nurse assumed and called for the doctor.

The doctor confirmed the nurse's assumption and injected Damon another dosage of pain medication. Since Damon kept moving he also wanted to restrain him in order to prevent him from hurting himself, but Stefan immediately objected. He didn't want to see his brother tied down onto the bed and told them that he would keep an eye on him.

The doctor wasn't completely convinced but eventually agreed. Shortly after the doctor and the nurse had left, Damon made another attempt to turn around. Stefan reacted instantly and laid one hand carefully on his bandaged chest and the other one on his forehead. While he was gently smoothing his messed up hair he whispered soothing words to him and finally succeeded in calming him down.

It was a long night and in the wee hours of the next morning one the doctors finally announced that Damon's vital signs had improved and that his temperature was back to normal. Stefan breathed a sigh of relief and was finally able to relax.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's notes: Just two words: Thank you :-)

* * *

Bonnie had spent the night at the Gilbert house since she had been too shaken to go home alone. Instead of sleeping the girls had ended up talking about the recent events and also about Damon. Elena sensed that her best friend really cared about the former vampire and she also got a feeling that soon there could be more than just a friendship between those two. And she decided that she liked the idea of it.

The next day they arrived the hospital as soon as the visiting hours had started and could even bring a doctor to inform them about Damon's condition and also to allow them to see him.

Elena slowly opened the door and the girls immediately smiled at each other. Stefan was still sitting at Damon's bed holding his brother's hand. He had fallen asleep and his head was resting on the edge of the bed. Bonnie also noticed relieved that Damon wasn't as pale anymore as the day before.

"I think I should take Stefan home. He's looking exhausted and it's probably not easy for him having the scent of human blood all around him." Elena said glancing at her boyfriend.

The sound of her voice caused Stefan to wake up and although he was a little bit reluctant at first he eventually agreed to go home with her. After the two had left Bonnie sat down on the plastic chair and studied Damon's face. She felt miserable knowing that he wouldn't be in such a bad condition if he hadn't saved her. In order to protect her he had been willing to sacrifice himself. Right now she couldn't really define her feelings for him but it was surely more than just sympathy.

Over the course of the day Damon slipped in and out of consciousness but whenever he opened his eyes he noticed that someone was there. First it had been Bonnie, then Bonnie and Elena and during night it was Stefan who stayed with him. And he was glad that he wasn't alone, the doctors, the machines and all these needles and tubes frightened him. Especially the tube in his throat that helped him to breathe but prevented him from talking. He probably wouldn't admit that, but the fact that somebody was holding his hand made him already feel better. And as he had spent most of the time of his new human life with Bonnie she almost made him feel comfortable. At least as comfortable as one could be in a situation like this. She was also the one who was there when he opened his eyes for the first time since he was brought to the hospital.

"Hey, it's about time. We were all pretty worried about you." she greeted him and smiled.

He tried to smile back but failed miserable.

"You have just missed Elena and Stefan. Stefan had stayed for the entire night and Elena had to plead with him to go home to get some rest." Bonnie told him.

So it hadn't been a dream. Until now he had assumed that his drugged up mind had fooled him but Stefan had really been there. He remembered Stefan's words and hoped that they had been as real as the fact that his brother had stayed with him. He looked at Bonnie who was stroking his hand and had to fight to keep his eyes open. Although he wasn't able to do anything, he didn't want to fall asleep again. Just laying there and looking into Bonnie's beautiful face was enough to satisfy him. It still surprised him that the young witch had become so important to him. Not so long ago he had been attracted to Elena but since he was human again he had started to form a bond with her best friend. And as he had already experienced some emotional chaos together with Bonnie he considered his connection with her being deeper than it had been with Elena.

His eyelids started to flutter again and the weariness eventually overcame him.

He slept for the rest of the day except for a brief moment in which he noticed that Elena was there. The next time he was fully awake it was already dark and everything was quiet. But again he wasn't alone. Seeing his younger brother intensified the need to talk to him and it frustrated him that he wasn't able to do so.

"Go back to sleep. You're going to be better soon and they will remove all those tubes." Stefan said sensing Damon's frustration.

On the second day he was finally strong enough to breathe on his own and his arterial oxygen saturation was also sufficient so that the doctor wanted to remove the breathing tube. Bonnie was with him and noticed him tensing up when the doctor instructed him how he had to breathe when he would pull out the tube. Damon reached automatically out for her hand and relaxed as soon as his fingers touched her skin. Shortly after he had gotten rid of the tube he had to cough a lot but nevertheless he felt better.

"Can I have some water?" he asked with his voice still raspy.

Bonnie handed him the plastic cup that a nurse had already prepared and helped him to lead it to his mouth when she noticed that his hand was trembling slightly.

"Thank you." he croaked.

"I was actually about to say the same." Bonnie replied placing the plastic cup on the night stand.

"Because I drank the water?" Damon asked confused.

"No, because you saved me from that vampire."

"I couldn't just let him kill you. You still owe me some fun, remember? I know, that you said G-rated, but we're still talking about fun, aren't we?"

"Right. And I keep my promises." Bonnie smiled.

"That's good to know. I could use some fun after all this drama."

Way too fast for his liking he got tired again and fell asleep. The next time he opened his eyes he spotted his younger brother sitting at his bedside. At first neither of them knew what to say until Damon rose to speak.

"I heard everything that you said to me when you thought that I would die."

Stefan was taken aback but quickly gathered himself.

"And I meant it exactly the way I said it. I don't want to lose you. It pains me that this had to happen to realize that. You're my brother and I love you."

Now it was Damon's turn to be taken aback. Saying that he didn't want him to die was one thing but telling him that he loved him quite another. He took his time to let his brother's words sink and it became clear that he felt the same way. And not just for a short time. Deep down inside he had always loved him.

"I know I'm running the risk of ruining my reputation, but I love you too, little brother." Damon finally replied.

"And I really appreciate that you take that risk." Stefan smiled and patted his forearm.

On the third day the clear proof that Damon was better was furnished. He had started to complain about anything. The food tasted awful, the mattress was too hard, the nurses weren't pretty enough and of course he was bored out of his mind. Over the following two days his mood worsened steadily and his friends were soon tired of watching him sulking. It was Bonnie who came up with an idea how they could possibly cheer him up. Stefan talked to the doctor who was in charge of his brother since they needed him to assent to their plan and luckily he immediately agreed.

It was Saturday afternoon when Elena, Bonnie and Stefan visited Damon together.

"We have a surprise for you." Bonnie announced.

Damon's interest was immediately awakened.

"It's town festival today and you are allowed to leave the hospital for the rest of the afternoon and the evening to come with us." Stefan explained.

Once he had heard that he could leave the hospital for a couple of hours his face lit up.

"But there's one condition." Stefan said and stepped aside revealing a wheelchair.

"No." Damon instantly spat out.

"Damon, come on. You won't be able to walk any longer than a couple of minutes." Bonnie stated.

"Fine, I'll stay here then, but I will definitely not use that thing." he replied stubbornly.

"A minute ago you were happy about the prospect of coming with us. Come on, don't be a party pooper." Bonnie said.

"But I'm perfectly capable of walking by myself and I'm not going to sit in the wheelchair."

"Yes, you are."

Detecting a slightly angry and somewhat threateningly undertone in Bonnie's voice Damon finally agreed.

After Stefan had helped his brother to get dressed they met the girls in the parking lot at the car. Damon looked quite unhappy with Stefan pushing the wheelchair but you could also see that he was glad that he could leave the hospital for once. He looked quizzically at Bonnie when the young witch approached him with a scarf and intended to wrap it around his neck.

"I don't need a scarf, it's not cold." he objected.

"Not yet, but after sunset it's going to be pretty cold. We also have a blanket for you in the car." Bonnie said.

"I wouldn't need all that, if you would allow me to walk." he grumbled and climbed into the backseat.

"So you admit that you need it." Bonnie grinned.

Damon rolled with his eyes but couldn't hide that the happiness about this trip clearly outweighed his annoyance about the wheelchair. His blue eyes that were sparkling with joy gave that away.

"God, this is so humiliating." Damon whined when he got out of the car where Stefan was already waiting with the wheelchair.

Before he even had a chance to react Bonnie had gripped the handles and started to push him down the road.

"Let me at least do that by myself."

"No. And stop pouting, that won't change my mind anyway." Bonnie simply replied.

Stefan and Elena were laughing out loud about the bantering of the two.

"You should get a show on TV where the audience could bet on who's going to win the crosstalk." Elena suggested.

After they had strolled over the ancient market that had been set up for the festival Bonnie and Damon wanted to head over to the coffee shop.

"Let's split then, I wanted to look for Jenna and Jeremy before the fireworks start and there's not much time left." Elena said nudging her boyfriend inconspicuously.

She wanted to give her friends the chance to spent some time alone and Stefan understood and nodded approvingly.

Bonnie and Damon also agreed so that the young witch proceeded to push the wheelchair down the street to the coffee shop. Damon was holding both of the cups while Bonnie was looking for a bench that wasn't already taken but couldn't find any. The people were already waiting and gathering for the fireworks that were supposed to start soon.

"Consider yourself as lucky that you have your own personal seating." Damon grinned and motioned to her to sit on his lap.

"Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly.

When Damon nodded she sat awkwardly down on his lap afraid that she might hurt him.

"Bonnie, I'm not fragile." Damon stated seeing how careful she moved.

"But your broken ribs aren't fully healed yet." Bonnie replied and put one arm over his shoulder.

"I'm fine." he assured looking into her eyes.

The background music for the fireworks had already started but suddenly they were completely oblivious to anything around them. Damon put their coffee cups away and reached out to brush a strand of hair out of her face. Bonnie leaned into his touch when his hand rested on her cheek while her own hands found their way around his neck. Eventually Damon leaned forward and closed his eyes when his lips touched hers. Bonnie had never been kissed so tenderly before and savored the feeling of his soft lips against hers wishing that this moment would never end.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's notes: The next chapter is finished, I hope you like it!

* * *

When Damon kissed Bonnie the void that he had felt inside of him ever since he had thought that Katherine had been locked up in the tomb was suddenly filled again. Nothing in his long life had ever felt so right. He cupped Bonnie's face with his hands and deepened the kiss while Bonnie was running her fingers through his dark hair.

"This is definitely not G-rated." Damon murmured against her lips.

"Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

Elena was utterly happy when she spotted the kissing couple and nudged Stefan to call his attention to them as well. Stefan grinned and approached his brother and the young witch with Elena in tow. He stopped right beside them but neither Damon nor Bonnie took notice of him.

When Stefan cleared his throat they eventually broke the kiss and Bonnie blushed slightly.

"Be considerate of the children and get a room!" Stefan teased.

"That was just physical therapy." Damon answered innocently.

"So the doctor told you that kissing someone who's sitting on your lap would help you. Sounds interesting, I've never heard about that kind of therapy before." Stefan said.

"You should try it and you will feel instantly better. But you have to look for someone else to kiss, the little witch is already taken." Damon grinned.

"As much as I hate to interrupt your therapy but it's already past your curfew and we have to get you back to the hospital." Stefan said.

Bonnie stood up still a little bit embarrassed that she had been so caught up in the moment that she hadn't even noticed her friends standing right beside them.

"Do I really have to go back?" Damon whined.

"Yes." Bonnie, Elena and Stefan said in unison.

"Dealing with you is like dealing with a toddler." Stefan added grinning and grabbed the handles of the wheelchair.

"Hey, I'm the older brother here, you could at least show some respect." Damon replied with feigned hurt.

They walked silently to the parking lot and when they arrived the car it was obvious that Damon was exhausted. And he was also shivering slightly so that Bonnie covered him with the blanket as soon as he had settled into the backseat. The fact that the former vampire didn't object was another hint that he was tired and when Bonnie buckled his seat belt for him he looked gratefully at her and reached out to take her hand in his. Stefan watched them for a moment in the rearview mirror and again he had to smile. A very small part of him still regarded Damon and his humanity with envy but due to his regained love for his older brother it was completely outweighed by the relief and happiness he felt about the fact that Damon would recover from his injuries and that he had finally started to adjust to his new life. When they arrived the hospital Damon was barely awake and Stefan had to help him out of the car. A nurse was already waiting for them to bring Damon to his room and into his bed. Stefan tried to convince her to let him help his brother but she remained unrelenting and he didn't want to compel her. Before the nurse wheeled him down the corridor he patted Damon briefly on the back whereas Bonnie and Elena bent down do give him a hug in order to say god night.

On Monday Bonnie, Elena and Stefan wanted to visit Damon after school but stopped dead in their tracks when they opened the door to his room and found an empty bed with clean sheets.

"Excuse me, where is my brother? Did something happen?" Stefan asked one of the nurses.

"He left the hospital in the morning at his own risk." the woman explained.

"I can't believe how careless he is." Stefan stated and shook his head.

They went to the car and drove to the boarding house hoping that he was there and not in a bar drinking some whiskey.

Bonnie was furious when they arrived the boarding house where they found Damon lounging on the couch in the living room with his feet propped up on the table and a book in his hands.

"What the hell were you thinking?" she asked storming into the living room.

"It's nice to see you, too." Damon replied sarcastically.

"I think Bonnie will handle this." Stefan whispered and dragged Elena into the kitchen.

"You are the most selfish person I've ever met. Has it ever crossed your mind that there are people who care about you? Can you even imagine how shocked we were when we wanted to visit you and your room was empty?" Bonnie asked angrily.

Damon was caught off guard by her lecture but realized that she was probably right.

"What if anything had happened while Stefan was still in school? You've nearly died a couple of days ago." she continued.

And while Bonnie was still scolding him a large smile appeared on Damon's face.

"What?" she asked confused.

"You need a lot of words to tell me that you love me." Damon replied cocky with his smile becoming even wider.

"What?" Bonnie repeated.

"It's okay. I love you, too." Damon said and stood up.

Bonnie looked into his eyes and found herself getting lost in those clear blue orbs. He was right. She had fallen in love with him and she couldn't deny it any longer. But hearing him say that he loved her too was something she had never expected. Due to the kiss they had shared recently she had hoped it deep down inside, but knowing that Damon had already kissed so many girls she had supposed that the kiss had meant nothing more than a little bit of fun to him. The fun that she had promised him. Since Bonnie had to spent the entire Sunday with her Dad and her Grandmother they hadn't had the chance to talk about it until now though both of them had reflected on this kiss. Deciding that she wanted to have another taste of his soft lips she laid a hand on the nape of his neck and slowly pulled his head down.

"I do love you, Damon." Bonnie said before her lips touched his.

Their second kiss was as tenderly as their first one but also full of passion. They sunk down onto the couch and continued to kiss until they were out of breath. Neither of them wanted to let go of the other one and they relished the feeling of simply lying in each others arms.

Elena and Stefan had gone upstairs to give Damon and Bonnie some privacy and Stefan had even turned on some music so that he couldn't hear them fighting. At some point Elena had turned the radio off and looked expectantly at her boyfriend.

"Are they still talking?" she asked.

"No. I can hear their hearts beating, but that's it."

"Great, at least we know now that they didn't kill each other. Bonnie was really angry. Let's see what they're doing." Elena replied and Stefan followed her out of his room.

In the living room they found Bonnie and Damon fast asleep on the couch. Damon was lying on his back and Bonnie was half on top of him with her head resting on his chest. Elena and Stefan smiled at each other and returned to Stefan's room to do exactly the same.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's notes: It's done, the story is finished! Thanks to all the readers of this story especially to those who reviewed or added this story to their favorite's/ alerts!

* * *

Once Bonnie and Damon had confessed their feelings to each other they found themselves in a serious relationship. At first they had been watched suspiciously by a lot of people in town especially Bonnie's Grandmother, but the mistrust toward Damon eventually died down because it was hard to ignore how happy Bonnie was with him. The two of them were almost inseparable and despite his humanity Damon was utterly pleased with his life.

After Bonnie had graduated High School they left Mystic Falls and went to College together. At the same time Stefan eventually turned Elena. She had a hard time to convince him to do that, and it was Damon who helped her to change his brother's mind. Stefan loved the idea of being together with her forever, but he didn't want her to feel as tortured as he had once. Afterward they had never regretted their decision although it meant that they had to leave family and friends since they weren't aging. Though they've told Jenna and Jeremy the truth because Elena couldn't bear the thought of breaking her ties with them completely. They went to College together with Bonnie and Damon and then started to travel around Northern America whereas Bonnie and Damon returned to Mystic Falls once they had finished College. Bonnie wanted to live in her hometown and Damon simply wanted to live where his little witch was. Shortly after their return to Mystic Falls Bonnie and Damon married. Damon had proposed to Bonnie at the end of an exhausting day that they had spent with renovating their new house. Since they still didn't have any furniture they were simply sitting on the ground of their new living room and drinking some vine when Damon pulled out a small box, opened it to reveal a beautiful ring and asked her to marry him. Bonnie didn't have to think twice about her answer. She had already known that she wanted to spent the rest of her life with Damon ever since the day he had told her that he loved her.

Their wedding day was also the last day that Elena and Stefan spent in Mystic Falls. It was a very private but beautiful ceremony with a lot of tears. The first tears were cried due to the overwhelming emotions when Bonnie and Damon exchanged their wedding vows. The farewell scene at the end of the small party which had been held at the boarding house caused further tears and even Damon and Stefan got watery eyes when they embraced each other.

After spending almost five years in Europe Elena and Stefan finally came back to Mystic Falls. During these years a lot of phone calls had been made and due to the time difference even more emails had been written but they hadn't seen each other so that the vampire couple eventually decided to sneak into town when it was dark outside and visit them. Since it was January the sun set pretty early and also was the town covered under a thick white blanket of snow. Elena was almost nervous when they finally stood in front of Bonnie's and Damon's house and knocked at the door. It was Bonnie who opened the door. It took some seconds until she had recovered from the first shock but once she had she threw her arms around her friends and squealed. She quickly invited the two vampires into the house and shut the door to keep the cold outside.

"I can't believe that you are here." Bonnie said happily and lead them into the living room.

For a moment they just looked at each other. There was so much to tell but neither of them knew where to start.

"Where's Damon?" Stefan eventually asked.

Bonnie bit her lower lip.

„Listen, there's something I haven't told you yet because I was thinking that it might make you sad. And there's also someone I want you to meet." Bonnie said nervously.

"You are not telling us that you and Damon broke up, are you?" Elena asked.

"No, we would never do that." Bonnie answered and realized how her words must have sounded.

She motioned them to follow her into the kitchen and opened the backdoor that led into the garden. They stopped in the doorway and gasped. It was not only the sight of Damon building a snowman but also the fact that he was doing it together with a little girl that made them speechless.

"This is our daughter Hannah. She's three and a half now." Bonnie told them proudly.

"She's so beautiful." Elena said and realized that Bonnie had been right. Although she was happy for her friends and she loved her life with Stefan she was also sad knowing that she would never have kids.

"I have never seen Damon so happy." Stefan said when Damon picked up his little girl so that she could put an old hat on the snowman's head.

Just like Bonnie Damon hadn't changed much and he still had that boyish grin on his face that let him look younger than he actually was.

"Let's go back inside, it's freezing." Damon eventually said while they were admiring their handiwork.

"Can Mr. Snowman come with us?" Hannah asked him.

"No, the floor would get all wet and that would make Mommy cranky." he replied.

Elena and Stefan laughed and went back into the kitchen where Bonnie told them to wait in the living room. The door was slightly ajar so that they could not only hear Damon but see him as well when he put his daughter on the ground and pecked Bonnie on her cheek.

"Oh God, you're so cold." the young witch said.

"I know something that would definitely heat me up." Damon grinned and kissed her once more.

Bonnie blushed slightly knowing that Elena and Stefan could hear everything and slapped playfully his forearm.

"Go into the living room, we have visitors." Bonnie replied and bent down to help Hannah out of her coat.

"Do I have to? Who is it, we weren't expecting anybody."

Sauntering into the living room he froze when he spotted his younger brother and Elena standing there.

"Look at those wrinkles around his eyes." Stefan teased and nudged his girlfriend.

"We should get an alarm system for cocky vampires." Damon laughed and pulled first Elena and then his brother into a tight embrace.

For a moment it seemed that the brothers didn't want to let go of each other though eventually they did.

"You should have called, I would have gotten some squirrels or rabbits for you." Damon joked.

"I want to have a rabbit, too." a voice behind Damon stated.

"You already have one, sweetie." Damon said stroking his daughter's curly hair.

"But it's not a real one." Hannah replied and held on to her father's leg.

"Look, your aunt Elena and your uncle Stefan are here, it's so much better than a rabbit." Damon said and picked her up.

"She's absolutely adorable." Elena gushed now that she had a closer look.

"We have already seen you two building the snowman. Nice job, brother." Stefan said.

"You should see us when we have a tea party with her stuffed animals." Damon laughed.

Hannah looked slightly skeptical at Elena and Stefan.

"I think a rabbit is better." she whispered into Damon's ear.

"At least she is honest." Stefan said.

"My Dad always says that she has my looks but Damon's attitude." Bonnie said when she joined the group.

"Oh God, she's going to be a handful." Stefan joked.

After Bonnie had put Hannah to bed the four of them spent almost the whole night with talking and catching up and when Elena and Stefan eventually had to leave they promised each other to meet regularly from now on. And they kept their promise until the day that Bonnie and Damon said their last goodbyes and were laid to rest after having lived a fulfilled live together.


End file.
